Electric furnace



Ma 1927' A. n. KEENE I ELECTRIC FURNACE Filgd April 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet1 WITNESSES: ."YINVENTIOR g g x I A/gn/(eene AiToRNEY March 29,1927.1,632,681".

1 A. D. KEENE ELECTRIC FURNACE Filed April 24 1925 Z Shams-Shem 2INVENTOR Patented Mar. 29, 19279 UNITED STATE S PATENT OFFIQE,

ALVIN :o. or rrrrsnonen, rEnNsYLvAmA, ASSIGNOR 'ro wesrmeraouss swarms &MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A oonroee'rron on rrinirsvrveure.

ELECTRIC FURNACE.

Application filed April 24, 1925. Serial. No. 25,615.

My invention relates to electric. furnaces and particularly tores1st-or-support1ng means for such furnaces.

One object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple andcompact, removable, resistor-supporting means that is interlocked with:1- wall of the furnace, in combination with a holding means thereforthat is held in place by a resistor member.

In practicing my invention, I prov de a resistor-supporting memberhaving an inner portion adapted to interlock with a "Wall of a furnaceand a holding means for said supporting means that is held in properoperative position by a resistor carried by sa1 supporting means.

, {In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, in" vertical longitudinal section, of a furnaceembodying my invention;

Fig" 2 is a view, in side elevatlon, of a resistor-supportiug memberembodying my invention l Fig.3 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 4. is a top plan View thereof; I

Fig. 5 is a top plan View of a holding meansoperatively associated withthe resister supporting member illustrated in Figs. 2 to l, inclusive;

Fig. 6 is a view, in vertical longitudinal section, of a modified formof furnace cinbodying my invention;

Fig" 7 is a fragmentar; horizontal SEC, tioual view therethrough ta enalong the line 7-7 of Fig. 6;. v s

Fig. 8 is aview, in perspective, of a resistor-supporting memberembodying my invention, and

Fig. 9 is a View, in perspective, of a holding means operativelyassociated with the resistor supporting member illustrated in Fig 8:

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, an electricresistor fur-- nace ll comprises a, plurality of bricks or blocks 12, ofa suitable refractory electricinsulating material so arranged as toconstitute a plurality of Wallsenclosin rv a furnace chamber 13. Thebricks or bl0Cl(S 12 are so shaped. anddisposed as to provide a furnacechamber of any suitable or desired contour and dimensions, here shown assubstantially rectangular in section.

As the device embodying my invention and to hehereinafter described in:letuil, maybe associated with any usual construction of furnace of thistypefthe furnace Proper is not further illustrated 01 described indetail. It is, however, provided with all other vices usually providedfor furnaces of this type and comprising doors with charging means, etc,as may be required by the method of operation of the furnace.

Each of the walls that is to have on ex tended resistor memberassociated therewith and supported thereby, is provided with. horizontalgroove or slot 14: that is of suhstantially L-shape in lateral sectionas is more particularly shown in the two side walls of the furnace 11 inFig 1 of t drawing.

A resistorsupporting member or hanger block 15 is made of a refractoryelectric insulatingceramic material. The member 15 is of substantiallyLshape in longitudin l section, that is, it is provided with a later I\extension 16 at'the rear end thereof, which. rear end portion. isadapted to fit into the slot or groove let. The front end of t member 15is adapted to extend into the mace chamber 13 and is provided with.laterally-extending groove 17 'upon whi may be' located a resistormember 18, The resistor member 18 is here shown it fiat ribbon of asuitable metallic resistor niateriah such as niclu'ome, that ispreformed to comprise a plurality of substantially straight andparallelextendingconvolutions substan tially as illustrated in Fig. 1 ofthe drawing. The resistor member is adapted to be sus pended by theupper loops thereof from a plurality of spaced resistousupportingmemberslo While I have illustrated the hanger blocks 16 as formed tosupport a resistor ribbon they may be adapted to support a rod or wireor a tubular resistor member, in which case the portion '1'? ismadeshorter than illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing A lateralprojection 19 is provided at the front end of the member 15 and isintegral therewith for preventing ruovement of the resistor member-'18longitudinally of the member 15. i

A refractory holding member 21 opera tively associated with each of thesupporting memberslo and maybe of the same width, as the body portionthereof and, is adapted to be located beneath the nieinb In placing thesupporting their proper operative position member 21 is then placedbeneath the mem-- ber whereby the latter is maintained in interlocked;position Within the groo-v 114 and relatively to the wall of thefurnace. The length of the-member21 is such ithat it extends from therear end of the groove 1 1- to a point immediately back of the rear edgeof the resistor member, whereby it is held in its proper operativeposition by the resistor member.

'While I ha e indicated, in Fig.1 of the drawing, that theresistousupporting members 1-5 are to be separated by individual bloc22,:this construction is not essential as he horizontal widthtot themembers15 be made such, especially at the rear porthereoih that thesides thereof will be erative engagement and no spacing would then berequired. plurality of properly spaced and alined lugs 23' areprovided'to space the bottom loop portions of the resistor member fromeach other, as is iliustrated in Fig.- 1 of the drawings.

Peferring more particularly to Fi s. 6 to 9 inclusive'oi the drawings, amodified form of device embodying my invention is there illustrated.Resistonsupporting members'2 i are there provided and maybe made ofrelatively thin material, such as nichrome, each member 24; having anintegral lateral 1 extension 25 at the. rear end thereof. The front endtheieoi is adapted to project into the furnace chamber 13 and isprovided with a notch 26 in its upper portion to receive a stor member18, here illustrated as a fiat bon of nichrome'that is preformed tooniprise a plurality of straight and paralxtending convolutions as washereinbere described in connection with Fig. 1 of a drawing. The'furnacestructure is substantially the same was hereinbetore described and thosell hat are to receive and support a plus 'ty of spaced resistorsupporting members are repectivcly provided with a plurality that are ofsubstantially L-shape in horizontal section. The projection 25 of themember 2a is adapted to tit into the lateral extension or projection inan opening 27 as is illusred more particularly in Fig. 7 of the Themember 2% is moved into its prcoperative position by a movement that; issubstantially at right-angles to the of the furnace wall in which it isto be mounted and a single movement in a direction longitudinallythereto. A holding c relatively narrow openings 27 therein,

bar 28 is then placed in the opening 27 at one side of the member 24 andmaintains the member 24 in its interlocked osition in the opening 27.The length of t e member 28 is such that it projects a'short distancebe- ,yond the face of the furnace wall and is o )eratively engaged bythe resistor member W ich maintains it in the opening 27, whereby theresistor supporting means and the holding means therefor are held intheir proper operative positions relatively to the fur-mice wall;

While I have, illustrated the resistor supportin member 24 as beinglocated in a su stantia ly vertical position with the integralprojection 25 extending in a horizontal direction, I do not desire tobelimited thereto as the projection 25 ma be so located as to project in avertical. irection either upwardly or downwardly as desired.

Lugs or projections 23 may be provided to properly space the resistorportions apart at the bottom end thereof as was hereinbefore describedin connection with Fig 1 of, the drawings.

' Although the part 15 has been designated as the resistor-supportingmember and the part: 21 as the holding member, yet, looking at myinveution from another viewpoint, the parts 15 and 21 taken together,may

properly be considered as constituting s. two-part resistonsupportingmeans, slnce they oo-operate to ,sup ort the resistor. Likewise, thearts 24 an 28, taken together, may be consi cred as a two-part resistorlsupporting means.

It may be noted that the device embodying my invention provides aplurality of spaced resistor-supporting members that may be made eitherof a ceramic electric-insulating material or that may be made of a metalandas may be found suitable or desirable, and that these members arelocated and supported by a wall of a refractory electric in sulat-ingmaterial of such material and con- 110 struction as to prevent agrounding or a.

short circuit of the resistor mmber itself.

The resistor-supporting means are respectively interlocked with the walland are held in their proper operative positions relatively 115 theretoby means that are respectively held in their proper operative positionsby a resistor member supported by the resistor supporting means.

While I have illustrated the device 0111- 120 bodying my invention assupporting adepending resistor member its use is not restricted theretoas it may be employed with other forms of resistor members that may, forinstance, extend in a substantially 125 horizontal direction.

Various modifications may. be made in the device embodying my inventionwith out departing from the spirit and scope thereof and all suchmodifications are intended to be covered by he appended claims. l Iclaim as my invention:

1. In an electric furnace,the combination with a furnace wall, aresistor-supporting member supported by said wall, and a resistorsupported by said member, of means for holding said resistor-supportingmemher in its proper operative position in said wall, said holding meansbeing prevented from longitudii lhl movement by said resistor member.

2. In an electric furnace, the combination with a furnace wall providedwith a slot, of a resistor-supporting member extending into said. slotand having interlocking engagement with one side thereof, a resistorsupported by said member, means engaging one surface of said supportingmember for maintaining said supporting member in proper operativeposition, said means being maintained in proper operative position bysaid resistor.

3. In an electric furnace, the combination with a furnace wall having aslot, of a resistor-supporting member, having interlocking engagementwith the sides of said slot, an elongated member for maintaining saidresistor-supporting member in proper operative position, a resistorsupported by said member, said elongated member being prevented from.longitudinal movement by the resistor.

In an electric furnace, the combinatio with a furnace wall, and aresistor member located adjacent thereto, of a resistor-supportingmember movable into its proper operative position into said wall by alateral and then a longitudinal movement thereof relatively to the faceof said wall, and means for holding the resistor-supporting member inits proper operative position in said wall, said holding means beingheld in operatlve position by said resistor member. 5. In an electricfurnace, the combination with a furnace wall having a slot, of areextending into said slot and having interlocking engagement with thesides thereof, a resistor supported by said resistor-supporting member,and means extending alongside of said resistor-supporting memher formaintaining it in said interlocking enga ement.

7. 11 an electric furnace, the combination with .a furnace wall having aslot of L- shape, of a resistor-supporting member of L-shape, havinginterlocking engagement with said slot and means for holding theresistonsupporting member in its proper operative position in said wall.

8. In an electric furnace, the combination with a furnace wall having anopening therein, a resistor-supporting member fit ting into said openingand having interlocking engagement with the wall, a locking barsubstantially co-extensive with the resistorsupporting member andengaging one face thereof, and a resistor member supported by theresistor-supporting member and effective to hold the locking bar in theopening.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this th day ofApril,

ALVIN D. KEEN E.

